Wings of Liberty
by xXTheDragonRiderXx
Summary: Fairy Tail has fallen… and may not rise again. [Now an AU.]
1. Prologue

Prologue

(I don't own Fairy Tail.)

_"__You can do anything as long as you don't stop believing. When it is meant to be, it will be. You just have to follow your heart.__" –Kike Palmer _

* * *

A dark time has swept over the kingdom known as Fiore.

Some say it was like the Great Plague, coming suddenly like rats jumping off of a ship and onto the land. Perhaps it was even worse than the plague, at least the Black Death was merciful.

Fiore had been taken over by a tyrant; the old king's son had taken over when he had passed, passing new laws, building pyres, amassing a great army of brainwashed warriors… destroying guilds.

Fire now burns through the streets, so often no one even jumps anymore. Sometimes it was a pyre that burnt, sometimes a whole home. It doesn't matter if the man or woman is dragged away by a mercenary to meet their demise. It doesn't matter if it is a child pleading for his or her life. Everyone just kept their heads down and tries to stay alive.

After all, who would want to be killed? Who would want to _burn_ to death? No, it was much easier to just keep your head down and hope _they_ don't come for you. Keep your head down, don't do anything that catches their attention, it had become our way of life. So, dozens, sometimes even hundreds of lives were taken daily.

No one associated the fire with help any longer. A long time ago, a pyromaniac by the name of Natsu Dragneel roamed these streets. Many used to complain about buildings being wrecked and destroyed, but now, they would give anything to have the infamous Salamander to come again.

Unfortunately, that would never happen. Or, at least, anytime soon. Fairy Tail had been destroyed, demolished. The king's legion runs through Magnolia, and when they were done… well, any trace of Fairy Tail was gone. Just like that, in a simple command, the country's last hope had been destroyed overnight. Many remember the fire that leapt to the sky that night, dancing beautifully in the stars as their hopes and the building turned to ashes.

Or, at least, that was what they _said_. That was what the king had told them, but really, everyone hoped Fairy Tail wouldn't go down, just like that. They were Fairy Tail, after all, and if there was one thing about Fairy Tail, it was that they were stubborn. They refused to back down without a fight. So, many thought they were just biding their time, to come out into the open, like they had in the past so many times before.

But they only knew half of the truth. Fairy Tail is still alive, but its members are scattered all over the countries. They can't contact each other because they can't travel and they had no idea where anyone was. So, they settled down, waiting and hoping, for a sign. From the one who they looked up to as their leader of sorts. The last one to back down.

The Salamander of Fairy Tail.

The one who had one fled only because his best friend had been fatally wounded. There would have been no way he would have let her die, just like that. So, he had to flee.

This happened seven years ago.

And the rebellion has just begun.

* * *

_"Back when we laughed together, we thought we were alike. But then _that_ happened, and I grew up, eventually forgetting to stay true to my own heart. But, you gave me some pieces of courage, so I'll give you the flower that blossomed within my heart._

_"Every day, every night, every time, everywhere, I'm doing my best for the sake of my dear comrades. We'll definitely reach that place called 'hope.' I'm sorry for causing you to worry, but thank you for always staying by my side. _

_"…Let's begin again, here and now. Let's believe together, let's make a wish for happiness. _

_"Let's make this moment bloom."_

* * *

**Author's Note: **The first chapter of my new big project. I've got an idea for an ending in mind, although it will take a _long long _time to get there. Like, easily 50 chapters. LOL. I hope you guys realize you're going to be here for at least 2 years. :D

...perhaps more than two years. :P

Anyways, word count will be anywhere from 1000 to 5000, yup, I'm being flexible. And before you ask, I do have it planned out... sort of. Okay, fine, does having a lot of ideas in Word, a rough idea of the ending, and the first few plotpoints count as knowing where I'm going?

I swear, I even answered most of the questions I forced on myself. (Even the meaning behind this whole fic one. LOL. That was the first one.)


	2. I: Beginning

I: Beginning

Seven Years Ago

The end of the world began the moment Lucy woke up.

Okay, so she was being a little overdramatic according to her friend, Juvia. It was really just Fairy Tail being destroyed, but we'll get back to that later…

Anyway, it started out as a perfectly normal day. Lucy woke up, only to be greeted by Natsu's closed eyes and Happy's loud snoring. She did what she always did to intruders, even if they came so often it was almost like they lived there with her. She Lucy-kicked Natsu out of her window while she looked around for Happy's fish.

Natsu, of course, woke up and started grumbling about being kicked out of bed again while Lucy ignored him as always and made her way to the bath. Happy cried about his fish being 'eaten' and Lucy threw the slimy thing out the window. After that, he and Happy left to go back to their house or to the guild while Lucy had a nice, long, relaxing bath.

It was once she got out of her perfectly normal shower and dressed that her perfectly normal day became perfectly _ab_normal. Oh, she walked down her perfectly normal route and the perfectly normal fishermen shouted at her as they perfectly normally did (she would _not _fall into the river unless someone pushed her). She walked into the guildhall, and that was when her _perfectly normal _day went downhill.

It was so silent that if someone dropped a pin, another person would be able to hear it on the other side of the world.

…or maybe on the other side of town. But whatever. Lucy wasn't_ used_ to her guild being quiet; they were the loudest, craziest, most expensive group of mages that lived on the planet. So, it would only be natural if it seemed as if the world had gone upside down.

Even though she often complained about her nakama creating chaos wherever they went, she had grown used to it, and she (_occasionally_) liked that part about them. Not only did it keep her spirits up, (no pun intended) but it made her feel at home. And besides, Fairy Tail just wasn't Fairy Tail unless they were up to some kind of mischief.

"What happened in here?" she asked to no one in particular, letting her eyes roll around the room, landing on different members who had all become her friends, even if some were not as close to others. There was Lisanna, who was talking to Bickslow, and there was Asuka, who was pointing at something on a table while her mother, Bisca, nodded. There was Erza, whose eyes were closed as Juvia and Gray… they were talking? Like they were best buds? And Juvia wasn't obsessing over Gray?

She slid into her usual spot in front of Mirajane and took the offered glass of lemonade. Something in the pit of her stomach seemed to form, and Lucy didn't like it. She felt like she was about to throw her breakfast up. Instead, she gulped down a deep draft of her lemonade to distract herself from the tension, wincing at the sweet yet sour taste. She liked Mirajane's lemonade, but something seemed off; as if this was going to be her last glass for a very, very long time.

"What's with the long faces?" she poked at the now empty glass, but Mirajane didn't offer anymore, something that was very unusual for the older woman. Lucy wrenched her gaze away from her staring contest and met those clear eyes. "Mira-san… why is it so quiet?"

It just felt so strange to have no Juvia screaming "Love Rival!" or Happy asking for fish or Natsu and Gray arguing (which would turn into a brawl) or Cana's drunk declarations or Elfman yelling "MAN!" in every sentence or…

"You don't want to know." Mirajane turned her face to the side.

Lucy scowled in confusion. "I think its better if _did _know, Mira-san. Everyone seems to be pretty down about it."

Mirajane didn't answer Lucy at first, instead, she poured something that looked like liquid fire into a glass and held the mug out to her. Lucy looked at it before she took and wrapped her hands around the warm drink.

"Can you take that to Natsu?" Mirajane turned her back on Lucy. "I think he would want it."

"…okay." Lucy looked at her friend, wondering if she should ask questions, but one look at Mirajane's expression told her to back off. So she nodded and hopped off the stool.

She began to scan the room for Natsu's pink head among the many different colors of the guild. A white head… no, that was Elfman. The blond was Laxus and that was Wendy.

Her gaze traveled to the door. She frowned, that was his pink hair and that was his jacket. That was Natsu. She watched as he looked over his shoulder and then slip out the door. That was… very _un_Natsu like. Normally, he would be loud about leaving, either blowing the doors up or shouting it over his shoulder, but now he had just… slipped out the door. She didn't even know he was capable of doing that.

She glanced over her shoulder and met Miragane's stare. The takeover mage smiled at her, a gentle smile, and for a moment, Lucy felt extremely safe. As if, she had someone who she could confide everything to and Mirajane would not look at her any differently. Like, she had a… sibling? Lucy shook her head and let out a soft huff, now was not the time to have idle thoughts when she should be going after Natsu. Lucy placed her hand on the doorknob, and turned.

Winter was coming. The air was growing chilly and it smelled crisp. Lucy almost smiled as she thought of snow. White, soft and powdery… and very, _very _cold, but it was fun to play in. She reached behind and grabbed her coat from the hook (sometimes, Lucy was grateful they had someone like Erza) and pulled it on. Then she carefully wrapped her scarf around her neck and put her hat on her head.

Once she was all bundled up, she marched into the crowd (after she closed the door behind her, of course) and began to scan the area for Natsu's pink blob. A few civilians glanced at her and Lucy wondered why there was either pity or sympathy in their eyes. Something _must _have happened, what it was, she was going to find out. As soon as she reached Natsu. So, Lucy began to elbow her way through the crowd when she noticed the said person was walking toward the forest.

"Natsu!" she hoped he could hear her with his dragonslayer hearing. She assumed he did, because he stopped but didn't turn around. Her keys jingled at her hip as she forced her way through the thick crowd. She never knew how useful elbows could be until she started using them.

Lucy finally got to the end of the nightmare and she stood right behind Natsu. He was completely still, as if he was waiting for her to speak or do something.

Lucy held the fire drink out and said quietly, "Mira-san said you forgot your fire drink."

Natsu spun around and Lucy tilted her head as she handed the mug to her friend. He smiled at her, very slightly, barely more than a twitch of his lips, and took a sip. Lucy clasped her hands behind her back as the beginning of worry began to stir. He looked tired, as if he had been up for a week and had no fire or regular food since then. His feet began to move, almost as if he was in a trance. Lucy swallowed a lump from the back of her throat down and began to walk alongside him, letting the silence reign. It wasn't exactly thick, but it wasn't _comfortable _either.

"Natsu…" she finally broke it when it became too much to bear. Natsu looked at her, his eyes a little wide and his mouth hanging open. Lucy almost smiled. "Can you tell me what's going on at the guild?" she almost let her gaze fall to the ground, but she caught herself just in time. She was a Fairy Tail mage now, she would not look down. Instead, she focused on Natsu's dark eyes and wondered if they weregreen or brown or black."Can you tell me what's going on with the guild? Why is everyone so sad?"

Natsu sighed, raised his hand and ruffled his hair. Lucy shifted, that normally was a gesture that either meant he was nervous or he was about to deliver bad news… or both.

_ I'm about to throw up. _

"Ah, Luce…" he sounded like he had no idea what to say. The churning in Lucy's stomach got worse and she took a deep breath, she would _not _throw up on Natsu. He smiled, but it looked so faked that it almost hurt. "The king is dead."

The churning in Lucy's stomach disappeared and was replaced with a stone. She placed the tips of her fingers on her lips, cupping her hands together. "Oh no…" Natsu nodded and the silence fell between them once more. Lucy would have broken it, but she didn't have the courage to. Something must have been wrong with her; she knew she should at the very least be tearing up, but she wasn't.

"That's only the beginning of the problem."

Lucy was jarred back into reality and focused back on Natsu's face. Why did he look worried?

"The king's son, Vortigern, he's our problem."

"Huh? Why would the king's son be a problem?"

Natsu smirked, but there was no humor in his eyes. "He doesn't like mages, he's afraid of us. Or maybe he doesn't trust us. I'm not sure; all I know is that he hates us."

Lucy frowned, "But if he hates us then what does that mean for the guilds?" _What does that mean for Fairy Tail? _Natsu let out a sigh but his gaze was level.

"He's going to come after us first, and then the rest."

"…" Lucy's mind was whirling. "Wait, if he's going to come after us, then what will happen to Fairy Tail?" Her stomach clenched as her heartbeat started to pick up and the edges of her vision burned black. Her vision furrowed in on Natsu's face as he took a couple of steps closer to her.

"Fairy Tail… will be no more."

Lucy's eyes widened, "What? But, that's impossible…" her vision began to blur and her knees suddenly felt weak. A strong hand clamped on her shoulder and she stared at Natsu. Why did it feel like the end of the world was rapidly approaching? Why did it feel like everything she had believed had been proven a lie? Why were Natsu's eyes brighter than normal? Why did she feel this way?

"Luce, we'll have to run. We can't be Fairy Tail mages anymore after Vortigern comes after us."

Lucy put her hands on Natsu's biceps and squeezed them. He was the only stable thing at that moment, even the ground itself was tilting. "Please, please tell me you're lying, Natsu. Please say you're joking. Please, I don't want this to be happening!"

Was that sorrow in Natsu's eyes? Why was he sad? He wasn't _supposed _to ever be sad. He was the one who could always cheer her up, even when things looked hopeless. "We all knew this would happen eventually, Lucy… and none of us told you. I'm sorry."

And Lucy's world came crashing down. Her knees gave out and she fell to the ground, bringing Natsu with her. He looked as broken as she felt in that moment, and she thought how this must feel to him. Fairy Tail was everything to him, they took him in after he lost Igneel. But she just didn't care. It seemed like everything she held dear would always be taken away from her. Her mama, her papa, her sister... now her home.

"Am I cursed, Natsu?" she looked at her friend as something wet fell down her cheeks and a lump in her throat formed. "Everything I love… it's taken away from me."

Natsu's hands were clammy but warm as he took her chin and forced her to look at him in his eyes. "I won't go, Lucy. I promise. I'll stay here with you."

Lucy stared at her friend; did he understand what he just said? His serious expression told her he did. She sucked her lower lip in and began to chew on it. He looked so serious, but there was another emotion behind that, something she just couldn't quite put her finger on… She held her pinky out, "Pinky promise?"

Natsu smiled and hooked his pinky around hers. "Pinky promise."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Bwah, I'm sorry it took so long to update, everyone. I didn't like my first draft of this chapter (too much was in it) and so I decided to rewrite, but then this got too long and I had to split it up into two chapters because of editing (no, you're not getting the second half yet- I haven't even started editing it) and then- never mind. My excuses are pitiful. I hope you enjoyed it though! (And look! I realized that you need to indent your paragraphs! =O)

I hope I didn't make Natsu too OOC, there's a reason why he is a little. Believe me, if you looked at the first draft... *shivers* _Way _too OOC Natsu.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! As always, reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. ;)

~TheDragonRider


	3. II: Courage

II: Courage

Winter, X791

What gave the approaching army away was that loud clang of armor.

Lucy wondered if anyone could hear her gulp as she shifted in her stance. She was attempting to hide any trace of the undeniable fear that sent her heart pounding under her chest and the strong urge to flee.

It was nighttime, but she couldn't see the stars or the moon. A cold wind hit against her face, but she only had a light coat on and nothing else. She didn't want movement hindered.

She tightened her grip on Loke's key and held it out in front of her, ready to summon him at a moment's notice. She could hear how harsh her breathing was as her gaze traveled over toward her right side. She met Erza's steady stare and Lucy took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. She would not give up, and she would not fail her family. She would stay strong until her dying breath. She was a mage of Fairy Tail.

"Ready, guys?" she asked so quietly that even Natsu with his dragon slayer hearing wouldn't hear her. She glanced at the keys resting on her hip, which seemed to glow despite the fact there was no light. She turned her gaze toward the said person, who stared ahead into the night, his eyes hard with some emotion Lucy couldn't give a name to. It wasn't determination or fear or anger exactly, but perhaps it was a mixture of the three. Lucy wished she could be more like him; he was always so strong, never giving up, even when he was defeated. And this was definitely a defeat.

The first soldier appeared over the horizon.

"One," Erza's voice called out. Lucy took a deep breath and began to search for the power that resided deep inside of her. She looked at Levy, who nodded and smiled at her. She let her gaze land on Gajeel, who ignored her as always.

"Two," Gray slammed his fists together as Erza began to glow. Lucy thrust her arm out to the side as Wendy closed her eyes and the wind began to stir through the trees. The soldiers began to surround them from all sides. She glanced at Mirajane, who had already transformed into Satan's Soul. Lucy sighed and closed her eyes, blocking all the distractions out.

"_THREE_!" it was from all around her that time. Lucy screamed and opened her eyes, letting her magic surround her and the key.

"Gate of the Lion, I open thee! Leo!" Lucy's eyes felt like they were burning as the familiar golden light surrounded her. Lucy pulled out another key and plunged it into the icy fountain. "Gate of the Water Bearer, I open thee! Aquarius!" She didn't waste a moment after that; she pulled out Taurus's key and repeated the incantation.

The blue mermaid, cow-man and the orange haired man appeared in front of her. All three of them looked at the soldiers in front of them, she might have been assessing the situation.

"You summon me from a dirty fountain, brat!?"

"You look lovely as always, master."

Lucy blocked out Taurus's customary (perverted) greeting and nervously looked at Aquarius. The mermaid had steam coming out of her ears. She gulped. Even when they were about to go in a fight, no a war, for their freedom, Aquarius would never change. And Lucy hoped she never would.

"Sorry Aquarius."

The spirit 'humped' but she looked at the soldiers too, her arms crossed as she floated up and down a little. For half of a heartbeat, Lucy wondered where the urn went. "You need me to do your dirty work again?"

Loke glanced at Aquarius, "It's not dirty work, sister." His left hand began to shine as he adjusted his sunglasses with the other. Aquarius glared at him while Taurus swung his axe over their heads in a perfect arc.

"I will protect Lucy-san's perfect body moo-re!"

Lucy sweatdropped as she pulled out her whip from her side. Loke cackled (had he been spending time with Natsu?) and held his hand out while Aquarius lifted her urn that had appeared out of thin air. Lucy cracked her whip above her head as Taurus and Loke charged with the rest of her friends and she glanced at Aquarius.

The mermaid nodded once, grimly, before she yelled. Water flew around the battlefield, miraculously not hitting any of their allies as a fire sprung up. She glanced at Natsu, she didn't remember discussing a barrier of fire with Fairy Tail, but he shook his head and she frowned. Was there a fire mage on the enemy side? Well, they weren't really the enemy; they were just following orders…

Lucy shook the thoughts out of her head and joined Natsu by his side, the urge to flee long gone as only one thought crossed her mind. Protect her friends. Protect Fairy Tail. Try to stay alive. The dragonslayer was breathing hard and he already looked unusually tired.

"Are you alright?"

"The fire… it tastes like Igneel's." Natsu glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and Lucy flicked her whip. How did they taste like Igneel's? Either she spoke the question out loud or he was reading her thoughts, because he continued on, "But they taste rotten at the same time. Like they've been polluted by dark magic."

Lucy released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "That's, bad."

Understatement of the century.

Natsu's fist lit on fire again and his eyes darkened. "Very," he agreed as the smoke from the first assault began to clear.

Lucy didn't bother to reply as the enemy reemerged. In the lead was a man with brown hair and very, very dark eyes. Fairy Tail mages regrouped around her and Natsu, many showing their marks off to the enemy. Juvia's eyes were angry, Lisanna looked ready to pounce like a tiger. Mirajane was emitting a dark aura (that probably was easy, seeing as she was still in Satan's Soul). Gray had stripped down to his boxers… Elfman wasn't even yelling 'man'. Gajeel's sword had reformed back into his arm and Levy was practically shaking with fury. Cana held her cards out as Romeo held a ball of purple fire in his hand. Lighting surrounded Laxus' imposing form. Freed's wings glowed in the dark (something Lucy wasn't sure was smart). Bixlow's bongo doll things were saying things like "fight!" and "die!" and "go back to where you belong!" and "bullies!" while something flashed, probably Evergreen's glasses.

Lucy wondered if Evergreen could turn people into stone since none of them could see. Well, there was the natural gray light of early morning and firelight. Wendy and Erza both stared at the enemy line which almost made Lucy shiver. She never would have expected little Wendy to have such a powerful glare.

Happy landed on her shoulder as the man and a black haired woman stepped forward.

"Give up," the man's tone was full of command, obviously expecting to be obeyed, and Lucy knew this was the king. This was Vortigern.

"Never," it was Makarov who spoke, his eyes full of dark energy. The air cackled with tension and Lucy wondered which line would be the first to break.

A loud snap.

The smell of something burning.

Natsu's scream.

Lucy's heart seemed to stutter as her hand relaxed and whip fell to the ground. She took in the way the fire seemed to dance in the night sky. A memory of when Lucy would watch her father's workers outside the mansion dance and laugh around the huge bonfire. That had been after her mother died. The fire would have almost been beautiful… if it weren't for the fact that Makarov was in the middle of it.

"MASTER!" Lucy didn't realize it was her scream until Makarov smiled at her. She lunged forward toward the fire, but strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her back away from him. "MASTER!" she began to struggle against the strong hold. "Natsu, _why aren't you doing something!? MASTER_!"

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry… I can't, I can't… it's not working…" It was Natsu who was holding her back. Why was he holding her back? What wasn't working? Why couldn't…

Makarov seemed to reach for her, "Save the tears for when you win, my daughter." His eyes were beginning to close and she stared at him. This couldn't be happening. It was just her imagination. It was a hallucination. It was her greatest fear. "Everything ends…" his eyes slipped shut and it almost looked like he was sleeping in the fire. "But the memories live on."

The smell of burning flesh became so bad that Lucy began to gag and she turned her head into Natsu's chest. She couldn't watch it anymore. She thought she heard someone laughing; a mad twisted laugh that clearly said the person was out of his rocker.

"_Gramps_!" she trembled at the way Natsu screamed the master's nickname and she felt his warm arms disappear. She followed his feet as he ran over to where the, the scorched… thing was.

…it had to be a dream. It was all just a bad dream and she was going to wake up in a moment, where she would kick Natsu and Happy out of her house and—no, that was too normal. She would hug them before she proceeded to tell them about this nightmare. They would laugh a little at her imagination but reassure her as they did during those days after the Magic Games. Just like always.

"Lu-shee…" she looked up and there was Happy, who wasn't flying for some reason. His ears were drooping and his eyes were wide and he looked very _un_happy in that moment. Lucy couldn't stand that look. She reached out and wrapped her arms around him.

She turned to Wendy, who looked as shocked and scared as she felt. Her eyes were fixed on the spot where Makarov had burned and Natsu's figure hunched the area where Makarov was last seen. Had Master escaped? Was there a ring of ashes and burnt ground where only his re… Lucy blocked the thought off. Her heart was pounding under her chest, so hard and fast she thought it would burst. The air seemed to cackle with electricity and Lucy thought she smelled ozone in the air, as if something was about to explode…

"Run," she met Wendy's dark eyes. The little dragonslayer stared at her, mouth hanging open slightly and Lucy tightened her hold on Happy. "Wendy, you need to run, now." Lucy didn't know where this sudden courage or anger came from; when this fierce urge to protect started forming. Maybe it started when she joined Fairy Tail and she never realized it until now, maybe it was later on, when she began to grow attached to it. But she knew she had to get her fellow guild mates of there before the storm was unleashed.

"But, Lucy-san…"

Lucy heard the quiver in her voice, and she knew Wendy would never be able to do it on her own. She looked at Charle, hoping the Exceed would understand. Charle's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, as if she was trying to figure out what she was trying to say, but they lit in realization. She grabbed Wendy's shirt and took to the sky.

It was getting warmer.

Lucy scanned the battle-field for Erza, and with relief she found the older woman helping Romeo up. She quickly made her way over to her, passing Gray and Juvia on the way. Erza tilted her head, obviously waiting for Lucy to speak.

The words escaped Lucy's lips before she could stop them, "We need to get out of here." Lucy didn't even recognize her own voice, it sounded foreign to her ears. She had never spoken that calmly when they were in a situation like this. But somehow, she could think rationally amidst the panic and anger that churned in her chest and at the edges of her mind. She felt as if she was a sheet of paper. Perfectly balanced at that moment but if even a stirring of wind passed through that room, she would tip over. She almost felt calm. But it was a deadly calm.

"Yes ma'am." Erza straightened and looked at Romeo. He nodded, he understood the situation, and began to run toward the tree line, joining up with Laxas and Cana on the way. Lucy turned to Warren, a telepathic mage.

"Can you contact the rest?"

Warren smiled (or was that a smirk?) and put his finger on his forehead, right by his temple. "You better be the one to explain, Lucy-san."

Lucy decided that smile was definitely a smirk. She glanced at Erza, who nodded and she took a deep breath. Better to get this over with and raise the chance of escaping with their lives.

_ Can everyone hear me? _

She got various sounds of agreement and acknowledgement, although Natsu's 'sure do' was a little late. She steeled her nerves, she knew none of them would like what she was about to suggest. Hell, she didn't like it herself, but it was the only option. Better alive than dead, that was what she thought. And at least there would be a chance to fight back at a later time… probably.

_You still there, Lucy? _

_ I am, thanks Gray. None of you are going to like what I'm about to suggest. _

_ Should Juvia be worried? _

_ Why do I have a bad feeling about this? _

Lucy smiled sheepishly at Gajeel's grumble._ We need to run. _

_ Yup. I definitely don't like this. _

_ Are you crazy!? _

_ Luce, you can't be serious. _

_ Why would you suggest something like this? _

_ We're Fairy Tail mages, we don't run away! _

_ Is there a reason behind this decision, Lu-chan? _

` Lucy smiled; Levy would probably always be one of the most rational people in her guild. _There is. If we run now and save our lives, then we will have a chance to fight back in the future. If we die here and now, then what will the legacy of Fairy Tail become? _

There was no response for a moment.

_Gihee, it looks like Bunny Girl has been taking confidence pills. _

_ I can see your point, Lucy. I concur with it, but someone has to distract Vortigern._

Lucy remained silent as she contemplated Erza's words.

_ "I'll do it." _

Lucy screeched at how close to her ear the voice was and she jumped away from him. Natsu smirked at her, even though his eyes were dark.

She took a deep breath. "Are you sure?" she knew that was a stupid question the moment Natsu shot her a _look_. She never thought he was capable of being as scary as Erza when someone smashed her Strawberry Cake, but apparently he was. Shivers went up and down her spine, but she didn't feel scared of him. If anything, she was worried about him. There was something different about his eyes… "I mean, are you sure you won't do anything reckless?"

Natsu smiled and put his hands on her shoulders. "I promise."

Lucy searched those eyes for any sign he was telling a falsehood, but she found none. They were perfectly clear and honest, almost as if he was trying to show her his heart. She took a deep breath and let a crocked smile form on her face, "You better not make me regret agreeing to this."

And Natsu smirked a smirk that chilled Lucy right down to the bone as she realized right then and there that Natsu was _very_ ticked off. Of course he would be, this man was forcing them to leave their homes.

"I'm all fired up."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Somehow, this ended up being 2,600+ words after I finished editing it. Instead of the original 1,800. O.o Sorry it took a while to update again, I was out of town, and then when I came back I went on a writing spree. :)

On a side note, you have _no _idea how much I wanted it to be Happy instead of Makarov. Jeez, that cat annoys the heck out of me for some reason.


End file.
